Poverty and Inequality Analysis
Good governance is an important aspect of the implementation of regional autonomy. Experts are of the opinion that decentralization can support good governance because, inter alia, decentralization opens greater opportunity for civil society to participate in the monitoring of government policy.
Various programs have been initiated to enhance community welfare, including those aimed at improving the people's economy. These efforts have not only been taken up by government but also by NGOs. One of these efforts is through the design of various kinds of rural credit and savings like Kupedes, Simpedes, cooperatives or via microfinance programs like SAADP.
Advocates of women's and gender issues are of the view that studies on poverty do not give adequate attention to the gender dimension of poverty.
The SMERU Newsletter Edition No. 15, 2005 is a special edition which raises a different dimension of poverty, namely the environment. Through this edition, we attempt to comprehend the link between the environment and poverty, including its social and political-economic aspect. A number of environmental experts contribute interesting topics to this special edition.
The term “inequality” is not new to the majority of readers. Although it has been the subject of public attention for a long time, in the context of Indonesia’s current economic development, inequality is a topical issue and is, in fact, increasingly worthy of examination. The present-day relevance of inequality has encouraged SMERU to present this issue as the focus of discussion in this issue of our newsletter.
